China’s first stealth combat drone has reportedly made a successful maiden flight, with state media hailing the move as evidence Beijing is closing the gap with major Western powers, the drone is the nations third unmanned weapon.

The test flight of the “Sharp Sword” unmanned aircraft is another step in China’s years-long military build-up, with its defence spending now the second highest in the world and growing by double-digit percentages each year.

This latest weapon from the worlds most populated nation is thought to be based on a Skunk Works – Lockheed Martin – Concept, the UCLASS – Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike – drone :: Read the full article »»»»

US airline passengers will soon be able to use their mobile devices – almost unrestricted – aboard flights on most US based carriers by the end of this year.

The retarded rule thats barred the use of electronic devices during taxi, take-offs and landings has been in place for more than half a century. The new, more relaxed guidelines are the result of a review by the US Federal Aviation Authority.

The review – take note CASA! less than a year from review to implementation – was setup last year and included input from flight crew, passengers, aviation experts and mobile device makers. The review found – shock horror – that commercial airplanes are able to tolerate radio interference from portable electronic device.

The change doesn’t apply to phones, the FAA said it hadn’t considered changing the rules for voice calls because they fall under the jurisdiction of another authority and also differ from other devices because of signal strength :: Read the full article »»»»

Brett Williamson head of Surf Life Saving Australia says unmanned aerial drones will patrol some Queensland beaches this summer, he says the drones will be used on North Stradbroke Island in a trial of the technology.

Mr Williamson told ABC’s Radio National that the drones use cameras to search for swimmers in distress, the drones will be fitted with flotation buoys that can be dropped into the ocean.

“Drones have also been fitted with a siren so if nothing else the UAVs flying along the coast and either sees somebody in trouble or a group potentially in trouble or if there’s marine life, dangerous marine life such as sharks or whatever in the area, the siren can be sounded,” Mr Williamsonsaid.

Mr Williamson says he would like to see the trial expanded nationally to provide surveillance of remote beaches, he doesn’t believe the surveillance drones will intrude on people’s privacy.

“At the end of the day this is about public safety,” Mr Williamson said. “It’s not about intruding on anybody’s privacy and, fortunately, with our experience of having the fixed cameras network we haven’t had one problem or one complaint or one operator that hasn’t operated in strict accordance with those protocols that we have in place.” :: Read the full Radio National article »»»»

The Australian Defence Force – ADF – is quietly resurrecting plans to buy seven state-of-the-art reconnaissance drones. The price of the spies in the sky could be as much as $AU3 billion.

The UAVs – Unmanned Aerial Vehicle – will be used for maritime surveillance, including intercepting asylum seeker boats. The decision comes despite internal claims that the Royal Australian Air Force’s – RAAF – antiquated top brass have long opposed the acquisition of unmanned aerial vehicles because they reckon the drones will put pilots out of a job :: Read the full article »»»»

The United States Air Force is poised to test an experimental aircraft designed to fly at six times the speed of sound, at almost 7,000 kilometres an hour, the Waverider can travel from New York to Paris in under an hour.

The Waverider project is jointly funded by the Pentagon and NASA, and is part of US plans to one day deliver missile strikes around the globe within minutes. The research could also be used to build a commercial plane which is able to reach much higher speeds than today’s jets.

The unmanned X-51A Waverider resembles a missile and will be dropped from the wing of a B-52 bomber off the California coast at an altitude of about 15,000 metres, according to the Air Force.

After a scheduled flight of about five minutes – in which it is expected to reach an altitude of 21,000 metres – the Waverider will splash down in the Pacific, the Air Force said.

X-51A achieves hypersonic speeds with what’s known as a scramjet engine, which has no moving parts. There are no plans to recover the test vehicle. Hypersonic flight renders conventional turbine jet engines useless due to the extraordinary heat and pressure generated at such high speeds :: Read the full article »»»»

The Chengdu J-20 [Jian-20 literally Annihilator-Twenty] is a purported fifth generation, stealth, twin-engine fighter aircraft prototype developed by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force [PLAAF] In late 2010, the J-20 underwent high speed taxiing tests. The J-20 made its first flight on 11 January 2011. General He Weirong, Deputy Commander of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force said in November 2009 that he expected the J-20 to be operational in 2017–2019

Our favorite billionaire, Richard Branson has opened the world’s first commercial spaceport in the New Mexico desert, the brand new home for his space adventure company Virgin Galactic.

The flamboyant British businessman, exuding his usual flair and cheesy grin, waves of blond hair flying, inaugurated the building by breaking a champagne bottle against the building, while rappelling down the side of it, hung 20 meters above the ground from the main terminal roof.

Spaceport America”, will serve “as the operating hub for Virgin Galactic and is expected to house up to two WhiteKnightTwos and five SpaceShipTwos, in addition to all of Virgin’s astronaut preparation facilities and mission control.

About 150 people are booked for lift-off on the first flights to orbit attended the opening event. Also attending were the head of Virgin Galactic, George Whitesides, commercial director Stephen Attenborough, and famed US astronaut – and second person to step on the moon – Buzz Aldrin. Branson said he hoped to launch a vessel into space within the next 12 months, which he said would kick off an era of commercial space travel. Read the rest of this entry »